1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vehicle safety system for correcting simultaneous actuation of the brake and accelerator pedals. More particularly, the present invention relates to a vehicle safety apparatus for correcting when a vehicle driver depresses the accelerator pedal during the vehicle driver's brake pedal application.
2. Description of Related Art
There have been a number of unintended accelerations of motor vehicles, resulting in property damages, injuries, even death, and subsequent liability suits. The accidents have been reported as a misapplication of the accelerator pedal instead of the brake pedal in a vehicle.
Several types of vehicle safety systems are known in the art. In general, as shown in FIG. 6, a conventional accelerator is connected to a shaft engagement 14 by an accelerator wire 23. The shaft engagement 14 is connected to a spring 21 and a shaft 11 for stopping by a first stopper 20. The shaft 11 has a throttle valve 12 attached to the shaft 11 by bolts 13. Therefore, upon depressing an accelerator pedal 30, the throttle valve 12 is in an open position. The spring 21 and first stopper 20 are supported on a base plate 25. However, for example, such a developed vehicle safety system is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,193,640 to Lee. In this patent publication, an excessive pressure on the accelerator pedal is exploited to reduce the engine speed and/or to apply the brake so that the accelerator acts as a brake when the driver mistakes it for the brake. Another fixed pivot single pedal accelerator and brake control mechanism is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,273,211 to Sarmiento wherein toe pressure actuates the gas control rod of the vehicle, while heel pressure operates the brake control rod of the vehicle, thus greatly resembling the usual action of the foot, except it remains on the single pedal instead of having to move from one pedal to the other. However, these systems are complicated in structure, difficult to use, and expensive to manufacture.